2022 is upon us, and we officially made it through 2021. You know what that means! It’s time for my definitive “Best Tutorials of 2021” list to showcase the most popular GIMP tutorials from the Davies Media Design YouTube channel through the previous year.
This list includes a diverse set of tutorials. It includes photo editor comparisons, photo manipulations, text tutorials, social media designs, and more! The tutorials listed below cover a wide range of topics that help you use GIMP for practical, every day uses for all types of projects.
21. 10 Time-Saving Tips for GIMP
Want to speed up how you work in GIMP? In this video, I cover 10 useful time-saving tips to help you work faster and smarter in GIMP. These tips will help you perform common tasks much more quickly through shortcuts or hidden features. Spend more time editing your photos or creating awesome art with these 10 tips!
20. How to Batch Edit Photos in GIMP and BIMP (+How to Install)
In this popular tutorial from 2021, I highlight an amazing free plugin for GIMP that allows you to batch edit photos. This plugin, called BIMP, comes with tons of great features for quickly applying the same edits to multiple photos. As a bonus, I show you how to install the plugin for GIMP.
19. GIMP Text Tutorial: Interactive Picture in Text Effect
In this GIMP tutorial, I show you how to make objects in your images interactive with text. This makes your text look 3D and integrated into your photos, catching the eyes of your viewers. It’s a cool way to communicate a message about a subject, product, or anything in your photos. Check out this beginner-friendly text effect!
18: How to Open RAW Images with GIMP & Darktable or RAWTherapee
Did you know that GIMP can open RAW images? In this tutorial, I show you how to link GIMP with free RAW processing software Darktable and RAWTherapee to easily open RAW photos. This is very similar to how Photoshop uses CameraRAW to process its RAW photos. Once you set up the link, your RAW photos will seamlessly open to speed up your editing workflow.
17. GIMP 2021 Preview and GIMP 2020 Recap
At the start of 2021 (and end of the crazy year that was 2020) I released this video recapping what happened in the world of Free and Open Source Software over the past year and predicting what I thought we could reasonably expect in 2021. My predictions are notorious for being wildly off, but it’s always worth giving it a shot.
16. How to Create Cubic Typography in GIMP | GIMP Text Effect Tutorial
Coming in at number 8 on this list is my tutorial showing you how to bend text around a 3D cube or around a corner. I walk you step-by-step through the process of mapping your text to the 3D shape, plus show you how to shade the text so that it matches realistic 3D lighting and perspective. If you’re a DMD Premium Member you can access the easy-to-use Cube Generator template that helps drastically speed up your cube mapping time and help you get great results every time.
15. How to Resize an Image in GIMP | Scale Images for Beginners
Want to increase or decrease the size of your image? In this GIMP tutorial from 2021, I show you how to scale images to any size. I walk you through the basics of getting the most out of GIMP’s scaling features. Change the size of your photos with this simple tutorial!
14. Wrap Text Around a Cylinder in GIMP | 3D Typography
GIMP is capable of producing some mind-blowing 3D text effects. In this tutorial, I show you how to wrap text around a 3D cylinder using any font and any color. You can create a seamless text wrap around the cylinder, or simply bend a single or multiple lines of text around the shape. This is a beginner-friendly text tutorial.
13. Create Better 3D Text in GIMP with This Simple Workflow
It’s really easy to create 3D text in GIMP, but can be challenging to do so when the perspective is head-on. In this 3D text tutorial, I show you a simple way to make better 3D text using built-in features and easy techniques. You’ll be able to create realistic 3D text with any vanishing point!
12. The Best New Feature in Every GIMP 2.10.x Release
There have been lots of new GIMP release versions since GIMP 2.10 originally came out 4 years ago. In this tutorial, I show you what I think is the BEST feature to come out of every GIMP 2.10 release.
11. Draw Polygons and Stars with This Hidden Shape Tool in GIMP
Did you know you can easily draw various shapes in GIMP with a hidden shape tool? Not many people know about this secret, built-in feature that makes it easy to create stars and polygons. I show you where to find this tool, how to use it, and how to customize your shapes once you draw them.
10. How to Create a Halftone Effect in GIMP
Next up on this list is a GIMP tutorial that shows you how to easily recreate the “halftone” effect found in cartoons or newspaper photos. This is one of my favorite effects as it uses a GEGL filter and allows you to convert colors and shading in your image to dots, lines, diamonds and more. There are lots of possibilities with this popular filter in GIMP (in fact, I named it one of my Top 10 Filters in GIMP in another video).
9. 7 GIMP Selection Tricks Every Beginner Should Know
GIMP’s selection tools have a ton of hidden features. In this tutorial, I outline those features while also showing some beginner-friendly tricks to help you up your game.
8. How to Draw Rectangles and Squares in GIMP
GIMP has a slightly unconventional process for creating basic shapes like rectangles and squares. Once you learn it, though, it’s super easy and useful. I show you the process in this tutorial from 2021.
7. What’s New in GIMP 2.10.28
GIMP 2.10.28 was released in 2021 with some new features and important bug fixes. Find out what was new in this latest release version!
6. How to Design a YouTube Thumbnail in GIMP
Breaking the top 5 for 2021 is an updated tutorial on how to design a YouTube thumbnail using GIMP! I covered this subject in a tutorial a few years ago, but design trends have since changed and GIMP’s capabilities have drastically improved. So, I though it only befitting to give this popular topic a reboot using modern techniques and the latest GIMP version!
5. Erase Background in GIMP with This Simple Workflow
Erasing the background of a photo is tough no matter what photo editing software you’re using. However, as I explore in this tutorial, GIMP has a few tricks up its sleeve to make the process effective and consistent. Check out my easy workflow for erasing backgrounds behind your subject – even if there’s fine hairs or other details!
4. GIMP vs Affinity Photo: Comparing Top Photoshop Alternatives
This tutorial covers an in-depth comparison between GIMP and Affinity Photo – both top photo editing software and the best alternative photo editors to Photoshop. Can GIMP keep up with Affinity Photo, a premium product? Find out as I cover the strengths and weaknesses of each program, what makes each program unique, and who I think should use each program based on experience and needs. If you’re a photographer or graphic designer, you need to watch this!
3. Quickly Change Colors in a Photo with This Amazing GIMP Tool
Have you ever wanted to shift a color or set of colors in GIMP without having to painstakingly select every instance of the color your want to change? This tutorial solves that problem using a simple built-in tool that allows you to change a color or color range based on a selection you determine. This is an extremely easy and effective way to shift colors in photographs with free software.
2. What’s New in GIMP 2.10.24
In late March of 2021, the GIMP team released their first new stable-release version of the year – GIMP 2.10.24. In this tutorial, I cover all the new features found in this latest version including a new snap to guides feature, the “Negative Darkroom” filter, file format updates, and a new MAC update.
1. GIMP vs Krita: Is Krita the Better Free Photo Editor?
My most popular tutorial of 2021 is a direct comparison between two free photo editors: GIMP and Krita. Though Krita is not a dedicated photo editor, it does have plenty of high-quality photo editing features that are starting to make noise in the Free and Open Source Software world. Are Krita’s “Adjustment Layers” legit? Do its filters perform as well as GIMP’s? Is Krita good enough to replace GIMP as a full time photo editor? Find out in this tutorial!
That’s it for my Best GIMP Tutorials of 2021! Don’t forget to check out all my GIMP video tutorials or GIMP help articles, or get more content by becoming a DMD Premium Member.
